>>57322934>>57323434i should add that bridget was the next character immediately after testament, who had long since been androgynous and who daisuke once said something about having "transcended gender," got added to strive after also not being in Xrd. and they officially started being referred to by neutral pronouns in english after having previously been called male pronouns in X and Missing Link, along with a more effeminate redesign and being voiced by a trans woman in the english dub.
so there was some boiling transphobic backlash to begin with and getting trans bridget a few months later made it explode. people kinda seethed at they/themstament but it was whatever because testament had always been like this to some degree. but bridget was seen as a "retcon" given she'd become an iconic "femboy" or "trap" character in the intervening years.
